Injury Time

The last couple of months have been hard, like really hard. I haven't blogged for too long, even after I said I was going to commit to blogging more regularly, sorry. My reason is that my New York marathon efforts have been seriously threatened.

As I type this I don't know for sure if I’m going to be able to take part in the New York City Marathon. A couple of months ago I was sat in a chiropractors office being told I wouldn't be running any marathons, my chiropractor didn't realise the marathon wasn't until November, nor did he appreciate how important this is to me, both crucial pieces of information before making such a statement. I have a herniated disc in my lower back, similar to a slipped disc, just not as bad, although the pain I have been in over the last couple of months I can't bare the thought of it actually being any worse. During that chiropractic appointment I cried my way through my first treatment and left not really having taken in anything else I was told apart from, no running for at least four weeks, oh and no cycling and no walking more then 15-20 minutes at a time. Almost eight weeks later and I’m still not running. My last run was May 25th, crumbs, that feels like a really long time ago.

But, and this is a big but, I still have time on my side. Before my injury I managed to get up to 11.5 miles in my training, that is almost half a marathon and in itself is a huge achievement for me. I already have five months of solid training under my belt. My back is improving, although slowly, the pain is decreasing, through lots of prayer and lots of chiropractor appointments and I am on the mend. I may not meet the pace or time I was hoping for, I may have to walk it but I started this training not caring about how long it was going to take me to run the marathon, so I'm going to carry that thought with me all the way to New York City.

I don’t understand the bigger picture, I don’t know why I got injured at this time, I don’t know what God is doing, I have battled some big questions over these last couple of months and I haven't come to any solid conclusions, other than, the same thing I've been saying since the beginning, keep going. No matter what, you’ve got to just keep going. So with that in mind, I am continuing my fundraising as though I never got injured. And that means I need to raise £1500 in four weeks to hit my minimum target and secure my place in the marathon. But why should you give money to someone who can’t even guarantee they can run the marathon? Firstly, because your money is going to an incredible cause. You have the power to change a child’s life simply by sacrificing a little bit of money. Secondly, it will encourage me beyond what I can describe in words. We all know someone, love someone or are friends to someone who needs to be told to keep going. This isn't just for me or about me, but this is for every person who is going through a difficult time and needs to hear that they can do it, to keep going.

No amount is too small, every penny donated is helping. If you want to donate £20 or more then you can also claim one of my exclusive handmade products, there are a few different options at varying donation levels. And of course you can still donate without claiming a reward as well. Follow the links below to find out more about the rewards on offer and about where your money is going.

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